Zrinjski Mostar 1 Aston Villa 1 - Report
This was mission accomplished for Villa, albeit not in particularly accomplished fashion.
A 1-1 draw at Zrinjski Mostar, courtesy of Nicolo Zaniolo’s first goal for the club, means their Europa Conference League campaign now takes a backseat until March when they will re-enter in the competition at the last-16 stage.
Not for Villa the nuisance of February’s play-off round, having returned from Bosnia with the point required to ensure they topped Group E ahead of Legia Warsaw.
A largely unremarkable match, played in the unusual surroundings of the 6,000-capacity Gradski Stadium with three open sides, will still be remembered fondly by at least three Villa players.
Not least Zaniolo, who finally broke his duck for the club in his 17th appearance since joining on a season-long loan from Galatasaray.
So too academy products Tommi O’Reilly and Filip Marschall, though the latter was denied a clean sheet by Matija Malekunisic’s equaliser three minutes from time.
It followed a rather sloppy end to the match from the visitors. Though the progress has been impressive following the opening night 3-2 defeat at Legia Warsaw, the general theme of their group stage has been of a team doing just enough to get by. More will undoubtedly be required in the knockout stages.
Those worries can wait until March, with Emery now able to turn full focus onto Villa’s surprise challenge in the Premier League. With a trip to Brentford awaiting on Sunday, the head coach made eight changes to his line-up, including a debut for 20-year-old Marschall.
Another of those added to the team, Jacob Ramsey, created the first chance of the night when he crossed low for Zaniolo but the Italy international sent a first time shot high over the bar.
Otherwise, the match meandered into the same pattern seen in the first fixture between the teams, decided by John McGinn’s stoppage time winner, with Villa seeing almost all of the ball but having little idea how to best use it.
Zaniolo was usually at the heart of their brightest moments though, not for the first time in his Villa career the Italy international looked a little unsure of himself. He was also booked.
One nice swerve saw him lose his man and reach the byline but Jhon Duran, starting for the second successive European match, could not get enough power on the finish to seriously trouble home goalkeeper Marko Maric. The latter was at his most uneasy when dealing with a low Zaniolo strike which threatened to squirm underneath him.
Apart from those occasions, it was tame stuff, Ramsey and Matty Cash both seeing efforts deflected wide as the home side stayed rigid in their shape.
Villa’s final chance of the half fell to Moussa Diaby but the record signing, struggling to make an impact, missed his kick when trying to convert Ramsey’s cross. It summed up Villa’s night.
Diaby experienced more frustration early in the second half when Alex Moreno misplaced a simple pass following a rare one-touch passing move, denying him a probable tap-in.
Moreno was soon replaced by Lucas Digne off the bench and within a minute he and fellow substitute McGinn had combined to set-up the opener. Exchanging passes on the left, McGinn whipped a cross into a crowded box picking out Zaniolo and after a neat first touch had brought the ball under control, his second sent the ball into the net. The relief was palpable.
Villa then seemed to switch off. Josip Corluka missed two glorious chances to level and Marschall escaped with blushes spared after a blunder before Malekunisic saw his shot from outside the box take a nick off Calum Chambers and fly into the top corner.
The forward celebrated so wildly, he appeared to injure himself and was subbed off. For him and Zrinjski, it was a moment of history. For Villa, bigger challenges and targets lie ahead.
Mostar (4-3-3): Maric, Corluka, Jakovljevic, Radic, Memija (Hrvanovic 67), Canadija (Kis 33), Ivancic, Zlomislic, Malekinusic (Marin 90+2), Bilbija, Cuze (Sabljic 67) Subs not used: Marin, Misic, Prskalo, Senic, Sefo (gk).
Villa (4-4-2): Marschall, Cash (Chambers 69), Konsa, Torres (Carlos 69), Moreno (Digne 58), Diaby (O’Reilly 79), Dendoncker, Luiz, Ramsey (McGinn 58), Zaniolo, Duran Subs not used: Watkins, Kamara, Martinez (gk).
